Even before he joined the Heat, James had talked about giving up No. 23 out of respect to Michael Jordan. He even suggested that No. 23 be retired across the league. The Heat had already done that anyway even though Jordan had no official connection to the franchise, so James' decision to take No. 6 avoided any awkwardness.

Based on these posts, James is only considering these two choices, which would rule out some blend of the two like 29 (23 + 6) or 17 (23 - 6). From a symbolic standpoint, Cleveland (23) minus Miami (6) = Homecoming (17) could resonate with Cavs fans.

Perhaps this would be a good time to lobby the league on adopting Nate Robinson's idea that players can pick numbers beyond two digits. Robinson said he would wear 206, Seattle's area code, to represent his hometown.

LeBron could make quite a statement of local pride if he could rock a 216, 330 or 440 on his jersey. Commissioner Adam Silver has shown a willingness to consider fresh ideas, so maybe this issue could be revisited even after LeBron settles on No. 6 or No. 23.